What Is the GameMaker Community Forum?

Updated

forum.gamemaker.io is the GameMaker Community (GMC), a discussion forum for people who build games with GameMaker. It runs on XenForo forum software and is organized around help, project sharing, and community events rather than being a documentation site or a download portal. If you have a GameMaker question, want feedback on a project, or want to join a game jam, this is the place those conversations happen.

What you'll find there

The forum is split into sections with clearly different purposes:

  • Programming — the busiest area. Threads are typically specific technical problems, such as "Dynamic, off-grid tilesets?", "The best way to allow two npcs to fight?", or a platformer issue with vertically moving platforms. Many carry a SOLVED prefix once answered.
  • Community Announcements — official news posts, including marketplace and tooling updates.
  • Community Chat — general discussion about the community itself. The description explicitly states not to post programming or technical questions here.
  • GMC Jam — the home of the community's recurring game jam, with a sub-forum for individual jam discussions.
  • Collaboration — portfolios, team building, and job offers. This is a moderated section, so posts are reviewed.

Who it's for

Two groups get the most out of it:

  1. Developers stuck on a problem. The Programming board is where you post a concrete issue and get replies from other users. Threads show reply counts and view counts, so you can gauge how active a topic is before posting.
  2. People looking for community and collaboration. The Jam and Collaboration sections serve those who want to build with others, compete, or find teammates.

How to use it

  • Reading requires nothing. You can browse threads, view latest activity, and read solutions without an account.
  • Posting requires registration. The header shows Log in / Register options, so an account is needed to start a thread or reply.
  • Enable JavaScript. The site displays a notice that JavaScript is disabled and recommends enabling it for a better experience; it also warns about outdated browsers.
  • Search before posting. Many common problems already have SOLVED threads, which is faster than waiting for a reply.

A concrete example

Say your 2D platformer character falls through a vertically moving platform. You'd post in Programming with your GameMaker version, the relevant code, and what you've tried. Other users reply in the thread, and once resolved the thread can be marked SOLVED — which is exactly the pattern visible in the forum's current thread list.

What it is not

It is not the official GameMaker manual or a store. It is a peer community: answers come from other developers, and quality varies by thread. For authoritative engine documentation, you'd go elsewhere; for practical help and community activity, this is the right destination.